


Morning, Noon, Day Or Night

by Magnetism_bind



Series: The Anchor [3]
Category: Black Sails
Genre: Angst, Birthday Presents, Emotions, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, SIlver turned into a sailor after all, Slow Build, i want to buy you a boat, one's that as strong as you are free, slowly working towards an ot3, worrying over the past
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-21
Updated: 2017-06-21
Packaged: 2018-11-16 19:55:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11259858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magnetism_bind/pseuds/Magnetism_bind
Summary: Thomas and Silver plan a surprise for James's birthday. It doesn't go as well as they hoped.





	Morning, Noon, Day Or Night

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of The Anchor!Verse, but there will be an installment at some point between Something To Hold On To and this one, to explain how they first got to France, how things went in-between, etc, etc.

“Be careful.” Silver admonishes for the third time. “He’ll have my head if you fall off that ladder and crack your skull open.”

“I do know how to climb a ladder, thank you.” Thomas mutters from his position on said ladder currently leaning against the mast. 

“Ah, yes, do tell me of all the ships you’ve sailed upon, my lord, the crews you were part of, how long you were at sea, _ow_.” Silver’s speech is ended by the piece of rope Thomas drops on his head.

“We all know you’ve been upon the sea forever, John.” Thomas says in a long suffering voice.

“I hate the sea.” Silver murmurs. “I don’t know why we’re even doing this.”

Thomas merely gives him a look and Silver sighs. Thomas doesn’t have to remind him. They both know why they’re doing this; they’re doing this for James.

Silver sighs again and stares down at the water below them. He keeps doing that, lapsing into silence more of late.

Thomas pauses at tightening the rope and looks down at him. They still don’t talk much about before, before Silver came to them. The tenuousness of their survival relies on that. For now.

They’ve been in France three months now. Three months and Thomas is finally thinking they may be able to settle in the cottage they’re in, but James is restless and Silver, while keeping up a calm exterior, still never goes anywhere without his pistol.

 _Do you miss her_? Thomas would ask, if he wasn’t aware of how a ridiculous question it was. He doesn’t even know Madi and he knows the answer.

Of course he does.

Thomas finishes tightening the rope on the sail and climbs back down the ladder. He places a hand on Silver’s shoulder, just a light caress and then asks. “Do you think he’ll like it?”

“If he doesn’t he’s an ungrateful bastard.” Silver says.

They’ve been working on the sloop for two months now. The moment Thomas had mentioned James’s birthday wasn’t far off; Silver had gotten a look in his eye.

“We should get him a boat.” He had said as soon as James was gone for the day, before Thomas had left for the village to start his morning classes. 

“A boat?” Thomas had repeated dubiously.

“Trust me on this.” Silver said and Thomas did.

They pay a visit to the next town over, which is situated on the waterfront and finally decide on a reasonably priced sloop. Silver persuades the merchant to part with it for half the price because it needs recaulking.

“You know how to do that?” Thomas asks in an undertone as the merchant counts the coins he’s just handed it over. It was a fair amount of their savings, but he’s willing to part with them if it will make James happy. 

“I learned. And I’m going to teach you.”

Silver sails the sloop around the coast to the inlet near their cottage while Thomas returns home with the cart and a few supplies, which was their pretext for going into the town to begin with.

 *  *  *

It’s slow going. They can only work on it when James isn’t there and so often he is. Which isn’t something Thomas had ever thought he would complain about. But it’s difficult to plan a surprise for someone when they’re around all the time. James has found work in one of the vineyards though so he’s gone for a good portion of the day and meanwhile Thomas’s small collection of students in the village is growing daily.

It’s fallen to Silver to keep the small cottage they’re residing in. He does it with faux show of civil bad tempered, complaining about having to be the one to cook, but having food on the table nonetheless when James and Thomas return to the cottage for the midday meal and then again in the evening.

The bed where James and Thomas spend their nights together is neatly made  and there’s fresh lavender on the bureau when they retire for the night. 

Thomas is aware of all these things, and he thinks too of the nights where James goes to Silver’s room, the afternoons Thomas spends there, and how they still haven’t truly spoken of what that means for the three of them. 

 *  *  *

They only go into the nearest village for small things. For larger supplies, like the tools and personal weapon collection James has been building, they go into Bordeaux. Finally it’s time for their annual supply trip and James has departed for a few days. Usually one of them would go along with him but this time Thomas had claimed he couldn’t leave his students at this juncture and Silver had merely said his leg was troubling him so James had gone alone.

It doesn’t escape Thomas’s notice that Silver had simply lied while he had merely varnished the truth that already existed. He has studied these differing elements to how they approached matters with James before.

For the last three days they’ve worked non-stop and at last it’s done. The sloop is moored in the small inlet in the cove close to their home, bobbing gently on the waves.

“See, no leaks.” Silver says proudly.

“It’s excellent work.” Thomas is truly impressed.

“You helped.” Silver shrugs off the compliment. He’s still not good at accepting those, either from Thomas or James. For all his brass exterior front, he’s still somehow broken by the past, by what’s happened.

Thomas places a hand on his, watching the flutter of Silver’s fingertips before they lie still under his, and Silver looks at him curiously.

“John, he will love this.” Thomas says quietly, enjoying the expression that slides over Silver’s face. The half astonished, embarrassed pride that he can’t hide, no matter how he tries.

Thomas leans down and kisses him on the mouth. Silver leans up into it, a soft sigh on his lips.

“Suppose we can’t christen it without him.”

“It hardly seems fair.” Thomas mutters with a smile. “It is for his birthday, after all.” He brushes a hand over Silver’s hair. “Soon though. Soon.”

 *  *  *

Soon turns out to be sooner than they expect. When they make their way back to the cottage James is waiting for them, watching dark-eyed from the porch as they walk up the road.

There’s no way not to look guilty, even though their secret is innocent enough. They both freeze in their tracks. James looks at them for a long moment and then goes inside the cottage. Like schoolboys being taken to task, they follow sheepishly.

Once inside the cottage James faces them with folded arms. “Which one of you wants to tell me what you were doing?”

“What makes you think we were doing anything?” Silver says lightly, leaning against the doorway.

“ _Don’t_.” James’s voice is tight and harsh. “I came home. There was no sign of either of you.”

Thomas understands then. “James.” He says, instantly sorry. It’s only been three months here, and even though he’s let himself start to feel safe, he knows James doesn’t feel the same. “We didn’t expect you back until tomorrow. We never meant to worry you.”

He gives Silver a look. Silver hesitates, but then stiffly nods.

“Come, we’ll show you.” Thomas nods at the door.

“Show me what?” James is still gruff. Because he’d been worried, because he’d thought they were in danger. Thomas knows this, but Silver scowls at his tone.

“We could have waited.” He mutters to Thomas as they retrace their steps to the inlet, James a few steps behind. “It wouldn’t kill him not to know for a few more days.”

“It’s all right. It will put his mind at ease now.” Thomas points out.

“It was meant to be a surprise.” Silver grumbles.

“There will be other birthdays.” Thomas reaches for his hand and holds it gently with his own.

He finds it easy to be affectionate with Silver at this point, physically so more than verbally. Words between them come more easily in some regards, in others…Silver is still so good at deflecting.

“If you don’t want to tell me, by all means, keep your precious secret.” James mutters from behind them.

Silver turns his head away. Thomas sighs and stops walking, which causes Silver to stop too, his hand still held in Thomas’s.

“For the love of god, it’s a surprise for your birthday.” 

James stares at Thomas. “My birthday. Why on earth would you two be skulking around like a pair of thieves for weeks because of my birthday?”

“We were not skulking.” Silver starts to protest as Thomas’s brow furrows.

“How long have you known?”

“I’ve known you were up to something. I assumed you would tell me when you were ready.” James scuffs his boot in the dirt, not looking at either of them. “If you’re not, it’s no matter.”

It’s Silver’s turn to sigh then and then he looks at Thomas. “We can show it to him.”

He sounds resigned so Thomas nods and they start walking again.

It’s mid-afternoon, the sunlight bright upon the dirt road before them. Not the pale softness of morning that they had originally planned on, the dawn coming up over the inlet and revealing the small boat hidden there when they gave James his birthday gift.

James is quiet now and Thomas knows he regrets his gruff words, but the stiffness in the way he holds himself also means he’s not ready to apologize either.

They leave the road and take the short path leading down the hillside to the inlet.

James halts abruptly at the sight of the sloop. He gazes at it from prow to stern, eyes sweeping over the broad sail to the fresh coat of paint. It’s a trim little vessel and Thomas feels pride at the sight of it, for Silver, for the idea and the carrying out of the idea.

“That’s….”

“It’s for you.” Silver says unnecessarily.

“Happy Birthday.” Thomas says, trying to lighten the mood.

“Why…” James’s still staring at it, his eyes narrowed now.

“It was John’s idea.” Thomas begins and then halts. There’s something about the way James is still staring at the sloop, like the very sight of it is troubling him.

“What made you think I wanted a boat?” James turns to face Silver, waiting for him to answer.

There’s no flippant answer, no knowing quip at the ready.

“I’ve seen how you look at the sea.” Silver murmurs, his eyes fully on James.

James swallows tightly. “I don’t want it.”

“James.” Thomas is surprised at the harshness of those few small words. “What-”

“Burn it, sink it, chop it into fucking firewood for all I care, I don’t want it.” James strides away from the both of them and is quickly over the hill, out of sight.

Silver shrugs his shoulders slightly.  “I thought that might be the outcome.” He starts down towards the sloop.

“John, you’re not going to.”

“I’m sure as fuck not burning her.” Silver assures him over his shoulder. “I’m going to sit in her, and enjoy the sea breeze while James figures out whatever it is he’s….”  He shakes his head and keeps going towards the inlet.

Thomas admires the offhand way Silver leaves it, letting James work it out for himself. It’s tempting. It might be easier. But he has to speak with James, so he goes back to the cottage, leaving Silver to his sea breeze.

Halfway there he catches sight of the path leading around the garden. He follows it round to the edge of the trees, and finds James leaning against the crumbling stone wall that separates the garden from the nearby forest.

Thomas draws closer to him, noting how James tenses at his footsteps. “Are you ready to talk?”

“Why did you let him do that?” James murmurs.

“I didn’t _let_ him do anything. I agreed that it was a fine idea because I thought it was a fine idea. It’s a beautiful gift, James. Why…” He doesn’t understand and he wants to, so he asks.

James remains silent, gazing at the garden, the neat rows they’ve started. A new beginning in a new home. Row by row, planted by Thomas and James, watered and weeded by Silver, grown and tended by all three of them.

“I can’t let myself go back to the sea.” James’s voice is hoarse. “You still don’t understand, not truly, how I was. The things I did. When I look at the sea, it just reminds me of everything I’ve done and will never atone for.”

It is not untrue. Thomas will never fully know how it was, but he likes to think in the last nine months, nearly a year, fully enough time to birth anew the relationship between them, that he has tried and come to know something of it.

“You think sailing once in a while will allow you to lapse into a man you once were.” Thomas says after a moment.

James doesn’t answer because, yes it sounds ridiculous when he puts it like that.

“I understand your concern, but you were worried about that too with Silver…” And that is not how it has been. There are two bedrooms in the cottage. James passes between them like they are ships in the night. Slowly the pieces are returning to where they belong.

“Yes, but, that’s different.” James shifts restlessly. 

“It’s not a crime to still love the sea.” Thomas says gently. “Nor to admit that love and accept it.” _To bring that wildness of the sea into your home and love it._

James sighs. “I have to speak with him, don’t I?”

“I think it would be best if you did.” Thomas says, squeezing his hand. It’s moments like these that he can’t believe how fortunate fate has been to them. To be standing here with James at the edge of a garden, discussing talking to John Silver on matters of the heart is a fate he will take any day.

“Will it ever be easy between us?” James muse, brushing his knuckles over Thomas’s hand, before clasping his fingers in-between his own.

“I don’t know.” Thomas says. “In all honesty I don’t know. But I like to think so.”

James kisses him then, a quick press of his lips that promises so much more. ”Give me a little while with him, and then join us?”

“Of course.”

Thomas watches him go before he lets himself rest against the stone wall, gazing up at the bright blue sky.

*  *  * 

James walks back down to the inlet. Christ, he’s made a mess of things, but the tightness in his chest when he found the cottage empty, then when he saw the sloop. When will that fear leave him? He doesn’t know what he would have done if his worst fears had been true and both Thomas and Silver had been taken away.

He doesn’t have it in him to wage another war.

*  *  *

He finds Silver slouched on the deck of the sloop, balancing a bottle of wine on his steady knee.

“It’s mid-day.” James remarks, without intent to reprimand; he means it as a simple statement of fact and observation, but reprimand is how it comes out. And he can’t help wondering as he gazes at the dark-haired man he loves, how they’re still at this point where they step so carefully around each other.

“I haven’t opened it.” Silver says. “It was meant to commemorate.” He gestures around the sloop. “Whatever this is.”

James follows the motion of his hand, taking in the full breadth of the sloop from her shining deck to her full sail, he admires it all. “It’s beautiful.”

“I know.” Silver says, tapping his thumb on the cork of the bottle.

James boards the sloop and slides down to sit beside him. He reaches for the bottle, but Silver doesn’t relinquish it immediately. James raises his eyebrow and finally Silver lets him take it.

James stabs his knife into it, twisting the cork out before he offers the bottle back to Silver. “I’m sorry…for earlier, for the way I keep…” There’s so much more he means, the last three months with how things have been. The space between them that keeps closing and widening again each day.

Silver shrugs and takes the bottle back. “Does it matter?”

“Does it matter?” James repeats. “It depends on what you want.”

“Does it matter what I want?” Silver asks next.

James stills. “It should. Doesn’t it…don’t you care?”

Silver shrugs again. “I care so much my teeth ache with wanting.” He says quietly. “But I’m also tired. I thought Thomas would be the one I’d have to…but it’s you. You still…”

James leans forward and kisses him, pressing him flush against the side of the boat, back against the wood. Silver’s hands are still and then they come around the back of his head, drawing him in against him.

“It feels like a dream.” James murmurs, his breath warm on Silver’s cheek as he draws back from Silver’s  mouth. “A dream that I want to be real and yet how can it be? How can I deserve this after the past?”

“I’m not sure it’s about deserving.” Silver says. “If it was, would any of us be here?”

James closes his eyes.

“Thomas will be wondering where we are.” Silver says hesitantly, before he places a hand on James’s knee.

“Thomas knows where we are.” James’s lips brush his ear.

“Are we waiting for him to christen your birthday present?” Silver whispers.

“He’ll be along soon to join us.” James places his hand along the top of Silver’s breeches, pulling them open. Silver stifles a groan as he slips his hand inside.


End file.
